Michigan's Miss Volleyball and Runner-Up to Join Colonials in 2012

WASHINGTON - George Washington volleyball head coach Amanda Ault has announced that four student-athletes will join the Colonials for the 2012 season, including the top two high school players in the state of Michigan.

"This recruiting class is going to continue to elevate the GW Volleyball program," said Head Coach Amanda Ault. "All four of these girls are extremely talented, proven winners and they will all make a profound impact on the program over the next four years."

Doyle was named the recipient of Michigan's Miss Volleyball award, given annually to the top player in the state by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association. She helped her team at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Mich., to the Class A District Championship for three consecutive years while leading the Marlins to the Class A Final Four in her sophomore and junior seasons.

"Maddy's size is deceiving but she is a lefty who has the ability to score points and possesses great court vision," said Coach Ault. "We are looking forward to deciding what role she will fill for us since she is such a versatile and energetic player."

Doyle totaled 717 kills and 501 digs to go with 121 assists, 107 blocks and 55 service aces as a senior while posting an attack percentage of .387. She is a two-time First Team All-State selection and was also a member of the Michigan Elite club team that won the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Reno, Nev., last summer.

Alexis Huntey finished as the runner-up in Michigan's Miss Volleyball voting after garnering First Team All-State honors for the fourth year in a row at Morley Stanwood High School in Morley, Mich. Over the course of her career she led her team to 11 tournament championships, three consecutive district and league titles and a regional championship (as a sophomore). Morely's overall record is 142-22-2 with Huntey in the lineup.

"Lexi comes from a highly competitive volleyball family," said Coach Ault. "She is going to bring an established competitive edge along with a great daily work ethic and the will to win."

Huntey was also named to the PrepVolleyball.com All-American Third Team after totaling 930 kills, 106 aces and 748 digs as a senior. She slammed 30 kills to lead Morley Stanwood to the Michigan Class C State Championship.

"It is incredible to have the top two players in Michigan coming to George Washington," said Coach Ault. "They have played against each other a lot on the club circuit so there's familiarity between them. I know both Maddy and Lexi are looking forward to competing together instead of facing each other of opposite sides of the net."

Jessica Lubic will join the Colonials as a transfer from Northern Illinois where she redshirted as a freshman. She was a four-time varsity letter winner and two-time captain at Kaneland High School in Sugar Grove, Ill.

"Jessica was a redshirt last season, so she has not competed in over a year," said Coach Ault. "She has spent a year of training and practicing with what turned out to be a NCAA Tournament team at Northern Illinois. Coming from a championship environment gives her the opportunity to contribute immediately in August, and she still has four years of eligibility remaining."

Lubic, a setter, owns her high school's record for career assists (1,608) and service aces (148), and earned All-Western Sun Conference and First Team All-Area honors as a junior and senior.

Margarethe Skjelbred is the first non-Canadian international recruit to join the Colonials since Suzana Manole (Bucharest, Romania) was on the roster in 2000. Skjelbred hails from Bodo, Norway, and played scholastically at Top Volley Norway. She is also an accomplished beach volleyball player, having appeared in numerous international tournaments.

"Maggie will have no trouble with the transition to collegiate volleyball," said Coach Ault. "She has dedicated most of her life to this sport and it shows just how important the game is to her. The team is going to learn from, and be inspired by, her work ethic and dedication. If you look back at the history of this program, we had some of our best seasons with international student-athletes and we want to actively recruit international players to be a part of this program."

In Ault's first season at the helm, the Colonials opened the year with 10 consecutive victories (best start since 2003) en route to tournament championships at the D.C. Challenge, GW Invitational and the Third Degree Sportswear Invitational.

GW boasted a 12-1 record at the Charles E. Smith Center including a win in front of the largest volleyball crowd in program history of 1,317 fans on October 14 vs. Fordham. For the season, the Colonials finished 20-10 with a 9-6 record in the A-10 while qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since the 2008 season.

The Colonials also saw seven players earn A-10 Weekly Honors while rising senior Lauren Whyte garnered A-10 All-Conference First Team, A-10 All-Academic Team and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. The Colonials also ranked in the top four among team statistics in the Atlantic 10 in 2011 in hitting percentage (4th, .207), assists (4th, 11.94/set) and kills (4th, 12.89/set).